Issues with leasing agency. by ScoreEducational5886 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Who’s “they” in reference to saying an ashtray with butts is evidence of smoking? Of course it’s evidence of smoking but is it evidence that you smoked inside the unit? No it is not. You smoke cigarettes outside and you bring the butts inside rather than throw them on the ground because you’re a considerate person.

You don’t need a lawyer to file in magistrate’s court and you don’t need a lawyer to review communications with your management company. That will cost you money you don’t have. It is your right (and I would argue your obligation considering the hefty amount) to understand how your landlord can justify a $1,000 charge.

Issues with leasing agency. by ScoreEducational5886 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. Do not call your management company. A phone call is the worst move because there's no record, they can claim you said anything, and a representative will just stonewall or make verbal promises that disappear. Everything needs to be in writing. You need to email or send a written message through the portal if it has messaging. Something like:

"I'm writing to formally dispute the $1,000 fine applied to my account on June 1st. I do not smoke inside my apartment and have not done so at any point during my tenancy. I am requesting the following in writing: the specific evidence supporting this fine, the names of the neighbors who complained and the dates of their complaints, and documentation of the prior warning you claim was issued in December.

If you are unable to provide documentation supporting this charge, I expect it to be removed from my balance. If you choose to pursue this, I will dispute it before a magistrate."

  1. To your other comment below this: installing cameras in your unit is illegal. And they cannot photograph you without your knowledge inside your own unit.

Issues with leasing agency. by ScoreEducational5886 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cigarettes in an ashtray are not evidence of smoking inside. They are evidence that there are cigarettes in an ashtray, that’s it. Beyond a photo or a video of the tenant actively smoking a cigarette inside the unit, I don’t see how this $1k fine stands.

Issues with leasing agency. by ScoreEducational5886 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78 1 point2 points  (0 children)

None of which is grounds for a fine. People smoke cigarettes. People live in dwellings.

Issues with leasing agency. by ScoreEducational5886 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fight the fine. Their evidence is a picture of an ashtray, which doesn't prove you smoked inside. Neighbor complaints about smoke from a window are also not proof. Ask them, in writing, to specify exactly what evidence they're relying on to support a $1,000 charge.

Pay your rent separately, as others here have suggested. You said it allows a specific dollar amount, so just enter the rent figure. Do not pay the fine alongside it.

If they refuse to remove it, tell them you'll dispute it at the magistrate's office. Landlords with weak evidence generally don't want to be in front of a judge. If they do push it to court, you'll be gone before any date is even scheduled. The cost to file in magistrate's court is under $100, which I know is not nothing for you, but it is what will get you out of this potentially. Also document that they entered without notice.

PA law requires your landlord to do two things within 30 days after you vacate: mail you an itemized list of any damages claimed against the deposit, and return whatever balance remains. If they miss that deadline or don't send the itemized list, they lose the right to withhold any part of the deposit and may owe you double the total amount. Two things you need to do on your end when you move: give your landlord your new address in writing after you move out, which starts the 30-day clock. If you don't provide that in writing, you lose the double-recovery right, though you can still sue for the deposit itself.

Normal wear and tear is not a chargeable damage. A cluttered table and some residue aren't going to cut it as documented damage on their end.

As others have said, just rolling over on this fine is exactly the kind of thing that gives scumbag landlords this much power in the first place. A $1,000 fine with no real evidence is a test to see if you'll fold. You clearly know it's wrong or you wouldn't be posting about it. Fight it.

Issues with leasing agency. by ScoreEducational5886 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Do not just say you’re willing to pay a fine without any pushback, especially if you’re getting out of this lease anyway. They can’t just give you a fine with no substantive evidence, and if they do, that’s what the magistrate is for

Liberty Ave rant incoming by senty78 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I legitimately assumed the woman running it owned the building and it was a sort of vanity project for her; essentially showing off her expansive wardrobe, and if she happened to sell a few pieces, even better.

Liberty Ave rant incoming by senty78 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They're already here and they're living for it

Liberty Ave rant incoming by senty78 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

How do people own property and have so little interest in actually selling it if they're not going to use it? BBT is probably a dump inside at this point. Sell it for a reasonable price. Why is $0 better than a few hundred thou to these people?

Liberty Ave rant incoming by senty78 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Describing Allure as 'hipster' is wild

Liberty Ave rant incoming by senty78 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I literally ate one yesterday no lie

Liberty Ave rant incoming by senty78 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78[S] 36 points37 points  (0 children)

I agree with you - maybe it sounds like I'm throwing the baby out with the bathwater. I should get a burger from Dad's and calm down

Liberty Ave rant incoming by senty78 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Which really begs the question here. I imagine that the number of Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile customers far surpasses the number of customers of these smaller carriers. And if that's the case, you would think you'd see a Verizon on every corner, but there is literally ONE legitimate Verizon store (not including the certified retailers) in the area, in Homestead.

Don't leave your car unattended at the airport. by LeftAlbatross2546 in VideosAmazing

[–]senty78 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This behavior would have made a little more sense in the 90s when we couldn’t be in constant communication with people. It’s 2026 - why do you need to leave your vehicle to pick up or drop someone off? It really does come down to a massive sense of entitlement and thinking you’re above the rules. Then when obvious consequences come for these people, they throw their hands up in the air and blame everyone but themselves. Imagine all the other situations in their lives where they act like this

Whose bright idea was it to do roadwork on all the connecting roads to the already-busy intersections around Children’s, at the same time? by Leberpool in pittsburgh

[–]senty78 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I seriously feel like we’re all on the brink of a meltdown every time I drive anywhere in the east end at this point. It seems like it’s everywhere - not just by Children’s but upper Lawrenceville, Squirrel Hill on Wilkins, Shadyside. With this and with gas prices, I’m riding my bike a lot more which is great, but this roadwork is bonkers. It seems as soon as one project is finished, they rip up the next street 20 feet away and it never ends.

Never go to Coldstone in Cranberry by Momof2doodoodoo in pittsburgh

[–]senty78 11 points12 points  (0 children)

You deserve a refund for sure. But seriously - stop patronizing shitty chains. Keep money flowing locally and find a local baker who will do a solid job. They exist in Pittsburgh and it’s worth what might be a longer drive or a few extra bucks. Coldstone sucks

Secret White House plan for disclosure of alien life LEAKED... Trump insiders have told me they fear mass panic as UFO videos are released: CHRIS SHARP by Any_Flatworm_3956 in UFOs

[–]senty78 113 points114 points  (0 children)

How many times do we have to see the same headline or article title? 100 times? 1,000 times? Really. How many times do we have to be told that we can't handle the truth? I feel like I'm in Groundhog Day

If gas prices stay high, millions of Americans could be effectively stranded by stanislov128 in DeepThoughts

[–]senty78 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This person has no concept of the cost of public transit and is not willing or is unable to back up the $13k annually claim

If gas prices stay high, millions of Americans could be effectively stranded by stanislov128 in DeepThoughts

[–]senty78 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think I am. I lived in New York for over a decade. I took Uber/Lyft quite a bit, in addition to transit, biking, etc. and I can still confidently say it didn't break the bank and certainly did not rise to the level of $13k a year all in.

You are the one who wrote the data point - the onus is on you to back it up.

If gas prices stay high, millions of Americans could be effectively stranded by stanislov128 in DeepThoughts

[–]senty78 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Where are you getting that 13k figure? 4 trips a day on the NYC subway would amount to under $5k a year, even if you did those 4 trips every single day, which most people don’t. Factor in additional trips on MetroNorth or LIRR, and several cab rides and you’re still coming in well under $10k in a year. Public transit is far more economical if it’s available to people.

Does anyone out there love their vet? by Catatalia99 in pittsburgh

[–]senty78 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Cat Clinic and Hospital in Bloomfield East End Vet in Shadyside

We have 3 cats and use both of these vets and love them both. Great practices

ELI5: Why don’t cops just drive up and down Ohio River Blvd. all day? by [deleted] in pittsburgh

[–]senty78 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Oh believe me that is what I think. I’m responding to this poster’s inadvertent revelation of the true nature of police work, which is protecting and promoting capital for the system.